The present invention is related to highway delineators that will deflect or pivot upon impact with a vehicle moving along an adjacent roadway.
Large numbers of highway markers (delineators) are positioned at spaced intervals along paved highways to indicate the roadway shoulders in darkness and adverse conditions. A delineator is typically formed of a circular reflecting disk mounted to an upright metal channel. The channel is driven into the ground or is set in a concrete footing. Highway delineators are normally situated closely adjacent to the shoulder of the roadway. They are therefore easily struck and damaged or destroyed by passing vehicles. Repair crews then have to pull or cut off the damaged post, have them straightened or replaced, and replace the delineator reflector. This is obviously an expensive task, not only in materials, but in manhours.
It becomes desirable to provide some form of highway delineator attachment that can make use of existing delineator mounting posts. It is also desirable to pivotably support the delineator reflector so that the post can be relocated away from the roadway shoulder.
One solution to the problem of damaged highway delineators was recognized by Alfred Parduhn who invented an articulated highway delineator post and was issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,248 therefor. The Parduhn post is articulated at the base of a delineator post assembly by a resilient tubular sleeve that mounts the post to the ground. Forceable impact with the post will cause deflection of the post in the direction of impact. Subsequently, the resilient tubular base will lift the delineator post back to its normal, upright position.
The Parduhn delineator post may be somewhat effective in preventing damage to the delineator post and to the impacting vehicle. However, after several impacts, it is a probability that the post and its flexible mount will work loose from the surrounding ground surface. Additional maintenance is then required to reposition the post along the roadside. In addition, the post must be mounted closely adjacent to the roadside, and therefore presents the same obstruction to snow plows and highway roadside maintenance equipment as standard highway delineator support posts.
A. Kammerich recognized the need for having an offset pivoted mount for mailboxes and road sign supports. His U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,573 discloses a ground mounted support requires use of a "Z" shaped support arm structure for the sign or mailbox. The weight of the support arm in addition to the cantilevered weight of the mailbox or sign at the outward end of the support arm requires that the entire support unit be set in a concrete footing. However, the sign or mailbox, upon being struck by a vehicle or other moving objects, will swing away from the roadway and will subsequently swing back into its transverse position to the roadway due to gravity.